GoldenPoncho

The erratic slapping of Hugo’s hand against the water as he attempted to paddle for shore, in hindsight, had most likely been ineffective. But in the moment, in his still stir-crazy mind, it felt like it was making him go faster. He tired himself out long before he would make it, however. The horizon, he soon realized, was much further away than he had once thought. It was a good four hours before his strange little craft got anywhere close to perceiving much of anything about the island, but when he did, his hopes rose. The island was massive, for all he knew, an entire continent. He could make out a scattering of small architecture, nothing like the massive high-rises of Skyscraper Ridge, but it still promised some manner of life. Hugo was so mesmerized, it nearly gave him palpitations when something hit his vehicle with a thud. “‘Ay!! No floaters in the reef, land-crawler!!” “Huh?” Hugo leaned to see who was speaking to him, only to be shocked into silence. Below him was a

It had been three weeks… Or it would be in four minutes and thirty-two seconds. Kipo had kept track. There were days when her parents would insist on her helping with some of the rebuilding that was starting to happen around Las Vistas or going to Eyeball Woods to train with the Chevra Sisters. But it was constantly in the back of her mind and more often in the front. Not knowing was the part that was killing her. She would never speak the words out loud, but there was that nettling scratch that more and more often suggested to her that Hugo was gone. Forever. For the first time just two days ago, the intrusive thought came to her that it would have been easier if he had, one hundred percent known to her, died that night. That thought had terrified her, made her feel awful about herself. How could a person think that way? How could SHE think that way? About her brother who she loved? She stayed muted to some degree more and more now. The raw instinct of the jaguar made it easier to

“Ya see anything, Jamack?!” The amphibian sighed with a shake of his head, “I really hate to say it, kid, but there’s no matching a frog’s eyes to a jaguar’s. If you’re not seeing anything, there’s no way I am.” Kipo snarled, resisting the urge to go full mute, and taking the reigns, guided their dragonfly down to the ship below. They were still a good twenty feet above the deck when she dismounted, landing on four paws before completely demuting. “This makes no sense! I know Scarlemagne’s still out there; there’s no way he could have drifted this far already!” Wolf leapt onto the boat from the waves below as the narwhal she had been riding dove down to patrol the ocean floor for the twelfth time that day. “Anything?” Wolf glanced from beneath curly hair with a slow shake of her head. Kipo exhaled unsteadily, and sunk to sit on the step behind her, “This can’t be right!” Her gaze drifted over her friends, Benson and Dave’s usually happy, encouraging faces awash with

“Hugo!” A tiny nose poked from underneath the starry, blue blanket in the corner of the room, and little Hugo sprang out with an excited chatter, barreling on all fours to Lio, who caught the rambunctious baby mandrill in his arms. “We brought a new friend to play with,” Song entered the room behind her husband and in her arms was what looked to be a ball of black and gray fur. She leaned to set on the ground a hyena cub not much bigger than tiny monkey himself. The cub immediately bounded over to curiously paw at Lio’s leg, who leaned to place Hugo down next to the strange, new creature. He hid behind Lio at first, head peeking from between the human’s feet. “Oh, now you wanna act shy…” Lio chuckled, peering down as the hyena cub trotted closer, cackling in an unfamiliar, but not so different sound than what Hugo might have made. He leaned back as the cub sniffed at him, then nearly toppled backwards when she gave his nose a lick. Both humans laughed as Hugo regained his footing

Pippin chuckled knowingly toward his brightly blushing cousin. Merry had long since ceased playing coy at the younger hobbit’s pestering when it came to Lady Éowyn, and after their long journey together from Gondor back to the plains of Rohan, he had grown increasingly more determined to impress her. And now that his dear friend was properly distracted with none other than the golden-haired goddess herself as his sparring partner, Pippin couldn’t help but take the opportunity to have a bit of fun. His cheeks puffed with a muffled bout of laughter as he took the opportunity to direct his wooden sparring sword toward the other halfling’s rear end. Merry surprised his opponent with a high pitched yelp, and the cackling eruption that came from Pippin was nearly as high in pitch. His complexion now beet red, Merry looked with surprise, offense, and embarrassment toward his cousin, and Éowyn dropped her sword to cover her mouth as grey eyes grew wide with mirth. “PIPPIN!” “Don’t forget to